When All Else Was Lost
by drtgaf
Summary: When they have nothing left, what are they to do? Please Read and Review. Rated T just in case. (Now A/U :( )Future Fic. Under Revision.
1. The School

**A/N: Hey all. This idea just came to me. Please R & R.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.**

**Background Info: Rachel and Finn live in a suburban home outside of New York. Finn, 29, is a newscaster for a local news station where he covers sports. Rachel, 28, has continually tried to make it big. She has been in a few productions, but she hasn't hit it big yet. They have two girls. It's been a year since they lost something special and they are still dealing with it.**

"Rachel! I'm home!" He dropped his keys on the small table at the entrance and slowly made his way into the house.

The living room was clean. The kitchen was sparkling. She had been cleaning.

Finn knew where to find her. She was always in the same spot when he came home.

He made is way up the stairs and to their room stopping only once to look at the closed door near the top of the stairs. When he got to their room, he lightly knocked on the opened door before entering.

When he didn't get an answer, he went ahead and entered the room. She was usually quiet when she got like this.

He stepped into the room and noticed how dark it was. The blinds were down and the curtains were shut. If it hadn't been for the light from the hallway, he wouldn't have been able to see at all.

He walked over to the bump in the bed. He knelt down so that he could see the top of her forehead. Everything below was covered.

"Rach, the house looks nice. I can tell you've been cleaning." He whispered to the comforter.

She doesn't even move. She just lies there wrapped up under the covers. Her body is shaking from the ever so present sobs just like every other day.

"Come on, Rach. Get up. The girls will be dismissed in 30 minutes. I thought it might be nice if we both picked them up today. What do you think?" He asked, hoping that she would be up for it.

"I'll be down in a few minutes." Was all she muttered and then she slowly started to move around, still under the covers.

Finn thought it would be best to leave her to get ready. He knew she'd be ready quickly. Even when she was down, she was still prompt when it came to time.

He went back downstairs to grab two juice boxes and two granola bars. The girls loved their snacks. They were going to be so excited that Rachel would be there. He heard her come down stairs and he tried to put on a smile. She returned it with a weak one of her own. He handed her her purse as he led her out to the car. She actually looked excited to see the girls. He opened the door for her and helped her in before walking over to my door and getting in.

The ride to the school was complete silence until Finn turned on the radio. Don't Stop Believing started playing and to his surprise, Rachel didn't turn off the radio. That song along with a few others usually brought back too many memories for her. And him, too. She just sat back and looked out the window.

When they arrived at the school, Finn pulled into the circle where the car riders were supposed to be picked up. He looked around, but he didn't see his girls. He noticed that Rachel had sat up. She must have noticed, too.

One of the teachers they recognized as Kelly's old first grade teacher noticed them and waved them down to a stop.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Hudson." She greeted.

"Hi." Rachel greeted quietly. "Where are our girls?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you. They are in with the principal." She noticed Finn's brow crease in concern. "Don't worry. They're alright. Mr. Kilter just wants to speak to you. If you could just pull into the visitor's parking lot, you can go in a meet with him."

Finn gave his thanks and then drove over to the parking lot and parked. They got out of the car and started toward the main office.

"What do you think is wrong?" Rachel asked as they fell into step together.

"I don't know. At least the girls are okay, though." Rachel nodded in response. "I don't think we should start worrying until, there's something to worry about."

Once they got to the office, they saw their daughters. Abby, 5, was sitting in a big cushy chair crying. Kelly, 6, looked to be in deep conversation with the principal. The couple entered the office and shook hands with the principal.

"Mommy! Daddy! You're here!" Kelly yelled running up and hugging Rachel's leg and pulling on Finn's at the same time.

Finn walked over to Abby and knelt down. He wiped her tears off her face and kissed her forehead. She looked at him with the biggest brown eyes which just made him melt.

"Hey, Abby girl. What's wrong, baby?"

"I… I… think I'm in trouble." She then let loose another round of waterworks.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. We'll take care of it."

He lifted her face and held it till she finally smiled at him.

"Girls, could you please wait outside the office while I talk to your parents." Mr. Kilter asked.

Right away, Abby looked like she was going to burst into to tears again as she looked at her daddy. He just smiled and gave her a little wink that usually told her everything was going to be fine. She must have trusted that because she got up and left with her sister.

Finn and Rachel took their seats opposite Mr. Kilter.

"Mr. Kitler, what has Abby done wrong?" Finn asked.

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, it seems that the problem has more to do with what hasn't she done. Abby refuses to do any work in the classroom. She also refuses to go outside during recess. We normally do not mind if children her age refuse to do certain activities as long as it does not happen on a regular basis. Abby seems to be unwilling to do anything at all for most of the time."

"Mr. Kitler, I'm sorry for that. We had no idea. She seems fine at home." Finn replied.

"Most students like Abby do seem fine at home, but when they are transitioned into an environment where they are expected to be doing something productive at all times they have a problem with it. Now, we have two options here. One, Abby can be pulled out. This is kindergarten we're talking about. It is not required for children to attend. And from what I hear from the little bit of work that she has done, Abby is smart. She understands everything. She just refuses to show us that. It might do her some good to stay home another year and then come back next year."

"What is the other option?" Rachel asked.

"She could stay and you could adjust the routine at home. Have her occupied at all times. Not letting her watch a lot of TV or spend much time alone. The more interactive you are as parents, the better she will do in school."

"Do you mind if we have a moment to talk about this before we make a decision?" Finn asked, getting a nod of agreement from Rachel.

"No problem. I'll just step out for a minute and go check on the car riders." Mr. Kitler said as he made his way outside.

"Rach, we can't just remove her from school. Can we?"

"I don't know. I feel like since she doesn't like it very much, it might be worth considering. She can just stay home with me. I can try to teach her enough so that she won't be behind when she comes back next year."

"Yeah, but don't you think we might just want her to try and stick it out. Maybe we could change the routine at home. Or maybe we could get her involved in a sport or something."

Rachel thought for a moment. "Well, we could just ask her what she wants to do."

"That's true. Let's go see what she says." Finn stood up and went out of the door to get Abby.

When she entered, Abby looked like she wanted to go hide in a hole. She was scared, there was no denying that.

Finn pulled her into his lap as he sat back down.

"Abby, we have something we want to discuss with you." Finn started.

"What?" Abby said. She was almost too quiet to hear.

Rachel reached over and grabbed Abby's hand. "Mr. Kilter says that you aren't enjoying kindergarten very much. Is that true?"

Abby half nodded and half shook her head. Over the years, Finn and Rachel have learned that that means maybe.

"Well, he says that you aren't doing any work and you don't even want to go outside and play."

"I.." Abby started, but lost her words. "I'm sorry." And then she lost it. The waterworks were about as bad as they had ever been.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetie." Rachel said reaching for Abby. She took Abby into her arms as Finn grabbed some tissues from the desk.

"Abby, we didn't mean for you to cry. We just want to know why you don't want to participate."

"I don't know." Was her response.

Finn waited for Abby's tears to dry up a bit and then said, "Well, you've got two options. You can stay and maybe join a club or do a sport."

"Or you can stay home with me for the rest of the year and come back next year." Rachel finished.

Abby looked up at Rachel with her tear stained face. "Really?" She said with hope in her voice.

Rachel nodded. "Yes, but you do have to come back next year. It won't be all fun and games while you're home with me. We'll be doing some work so that you won't fall behind. Okay?"

"Yeah." Abby said with a real smile.

"Just remember, Abby, you do have to come back next year and you have to work and participate and everything." Finn said. "Promise?"

Abby held out her pinkie finger. "Pinkie swear."

Finn grabbed her pinkie finger and they shook on it.

Once Mr. Kilter came back, they signed the papers and got everything in order. Abby was now a kindergarten drop out.

**A/N: I've started revising the chapters of this story because I started re-reading it last night and I just got mad at my writing. The plot should stay the same. I'm just improving the dialogue and grammer. I'll leave a note at the bottom of each chapter to let you know that I've revised it so that you can tell what's new. As always R&R! Lots of Love.**


	2. The Job

When they got home, Finn got Kelly started on her homework while Rachel let Abby help her cook dinner. Kelly was halfway through her math worksheet before she had to ask for help.

"Daddy, what is 4+7?"

"Well, what do you think it is, Kel?" He asked trying to get her to figure it out on her own.

"I was thinking ten, but I'm not sure."

"Why do you think it's ten?" He asked sitting up from his Lazy Boy recliner.

"Well I was counting my fingers and I ended up with ten." Finn smiled at his daughter and how much she resembled him.

"Alright, come here. Let me show you something."

Kelly hopped up from the floor and jumped into her dad's lap. He took her hands and had her count out seven and then told her to continue by adding four. She got to three and then looked at him confused. She was still on ten. He explained to her that she only had ten fingers which is why she got ten, but that 4+7 is one more than ten.

"Eleven?" She asked.

"Absolutely!" Trying not to laugh at the surprised expression on her face.

"Cool. Thanks Daddy. You're so smart." She replied hopping down from her seat and going back to her homework.

As Kelly concentrated on her homework, Finn's mind drifted off to a past memory when someone else had said the exact same thing.

"Finn, dinner's ready!" Rachel's voice broke him from his thoughts.

After dinner, Finn got the girls bathed and brushed their teeth before putting them in bed. When he got done, he went and sat down in his recliner and turned on ESPN to catch up on anything he missed.

Rachel joined him a few minutes later on the couch after cleaning up in the kitchen. She sat and looked at the TV for a while. He knew she wasn't watching. Even though he was a sportscaster, he knew she wasn't interested in the least. That and the fact that she hadn't blinked in a minute told him that she wasn't really invested in what was going on with the Wildcats.

He was about to ask her what was on her mind, when she went ahead and answered for him.

"Finn, I don't want to try out for anymore parts on Broadway." Rachel said as she broke the silence. Finn was shocked. "If I haven't made it by now, I'll probably never make it."

"Rach, what are you talking about? You belong on stage. You can't give up on that." He got up and moved to the couch beside her and grabbed her hand.

"Yes, I can. I'm completely happy with being a stay at home mom. I mean I have to take care of Abby now so being in a production would be a hassle anyway."

"Rach… I-I just don't want you to give up on your dream."

"I know and I appreciate that, but maybe my true dream is my family."

"What if when Abby goes back next year, you try again? Please? For me?"

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I'm asking. Just please, truly consider it." He said releasing her hand.

"Okay." He thought she might say more on the subject, but instead she said, "Well, I'm gonna go off to bed."

"I'll come with you." He said turning off the TV. Who cared how the Wildcats did during the game? His wife was making a life changing decision.

The next morning, Finn woke up to the sound of his alarm. He tried not to wake up Rachel wanting her to be able to sleep-in today. He quietly got dressed and then went to wake up Kelly. He made them both breakfast and then took her to school before heading off to the station.

When Rachel woke up, she noticed that he was not in bed. She looked at the clock which read 9:34. She knew Abby would be up soon if not already and decided to make her some breakfast. Abby came down a few minutes after the muffins were done. She must have smelled them.

"Morning, Mommy." Abby said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Morning, baby." Rachel said handing Abby a small plate with two muffins on it.

Abby went and sat at the bar and ate her muffins in silence for a few minutes. Then she spoke up.

"Mommy, what are we doing today?"

"Well, Abs, I thought we could just hang around here for the day. Maybe we could play with your dolls or something like that." Rachel answered. She figured there was no reason why they needed to start doing work straight away.

"Ok. When is Daddy going to be home?"

"He should be home by 2. Why? Are you already that bored with me?" Rachel asked as she faked a hurt expression on her face.

"No." She smiled. "I just wanted to know how much time I had alone with you."

Rachel laughed at this.

They spent the rest of the morning playing with a doll house in Abby's room. At about half past noon, Abby started complaining saying that she was hungry. Rachel made both of them some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were about halfway done with their lunch when they heard the front door slam shut.

"Finn?" Rachel asked, a bit shaken from the noise.

He came into the kitchen and was greeted by Abby hugging his legs. He didn't share her excitement.

"Hey Daddy!" He picked her up and hugged her.

"Hey Abby girl! Have you had a good day?"

"Yeah. Me and Mommy played with my dollies."

"That's good. How bout you run upstairs for a little while? I need to talk to Mommy for a minute." He said. Rachel gave him a questioning look.

"Ok."

Finn put her down. She slowly walked upstairs not wanting to leave, but knowing she had to.

"Hey, babe."

"Hey, Rach."

"What's wrong?" He greeted giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Rachel, I don't know how to say this exactly, but I..." He stopped and took a deep breath. Rachel immediately was overcome with worry.

"You what?" She asked touching his arm in a comforting manner. "Come on, Finn. What is it?"

"I... uh... I lost my job today." He said with an affirming nod.

"What? Why?"

"The station is merging with another and they had to cut half of the people. Apparently, I am not good enough to be brought into the merger." She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's ridiculous! You're the best one they have!" She said.

"Well, you might be a little biased."

Rachel backed up to the counter and leaned on it.

"Oh, Finn. What are we going to do?"

"I honestly don't know." He said pulling her into a hug. He hated when she worried, but there really was no way around this. "There are only a few stations around here and they all have plenty of sports anchors. I guess I'll have to try something else."

"I guess I'll can to start auditioning again."

"Yeah. It's not like we have much of a choice."

"What are we going to tell the girls, Finn?"

"We'll tell them the truth, but we tell them that everything is going to be fine. They shouldn't have something else to worry about."

"Alright. How are you holding up? I forgot to ask." She asked leaning back to look at him.

He sighed and said, "I'm alright. I'm just worried."

"Me too." She agreed pulling him into a tight hug.

That night, they told the girls about what had happened and reassured them that everything was going to be okay. At the same time, they were trying to convince themselves of what they were saying.

**A/N: If you missed it in the first chapter, I am revising this story. This chapter has now been revised. If anyone has any other suggestions, let me know and I'll try and see what I can do. As always please R&R! Lots of Love!**


	3. The Real Nightmare

**A/N: This story is really coming at me in segments. I am really enjoying writing it and hope you are enjoying the story line. Just thinking about where this story is going makes me want to cry. Please review. It really makes me write more.**

The following week had been full of job hunting for both Rachel and Finn. Rachel had been all around the city looking for some sort of part. Finn had looked for a position at any station within a 50 mile radius and was thinking about expanding his search. They would take turns taking care of Abby as they went out into the city looking for somewhere to work. By the end of the week, they were tired and both still unemployed.

"Rach, we're home!" Finn and Kelly walked into the foyer greeted by Abby.

"Hey, Abby. Where is Mommy?" Finn asked.

"She's on the phone. Something about a job, I think." Finn's ears and hopes perked up at what his daughter said.

Finn walked past his daughters and sure enough found his wife talking on the phone in the kitchen. She was jotting down a few notes on her music note note pad.

"Yes. Thank you. Uh-huh. I'll be there six. Thanks again." She hung up and turned around startled by his presence.

"Hey Rach! Did you get an audition or even a part in something?" He blurted out immediately.

"Finn, I actually just took a waitressing job down at Van Gogh's. I thought it would be best if we had some sort of income and since we lose your unemployment check if you work, then I thought I should get something." She said.

"Rachel, are you sure?" He asked reaching for her and pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah. I mean I would love to be on stage or something, but we have to face reality. Finn, I got our mortgage bill in the mail today and looking at how much we have in the bank. We need some money somehow. I mean, we are a long ways from being broke, but we need to make sure we have enough for the time being. I would hate to lose our savings and have to tap into the girls' college fund. And after last year, we are already kind of low compared to what we are comfortable with and we're still paying medical bills." By this time she was in complete freak out mode. Her rambling turned into sobbing and she just couldn't stop it.

"Rachel, calm down. Everything will be fine. Okay?" She nodded into his chest as he smoothed her hair away from her tear stained face. "Good. Now how about I cook up some breakfast for supper. I know that's your favorite." She gave him a weak smile at the gesture.

"Alright. I'll go check on the girls." He kissed her on the cheek and dried her face with a paper towel before letting her go.

"I love you." He said as she left the kitchen.

"I love you, too."

That night they had a good family meal and ended the night watching Enchanted, Kelly's favorite. After the girls went to bed, Rachel took a long hot bath while Finn cleaned up downstairs. On his way up, he noticed the door at the top of the stairs was open. He looked down the hall and noticed that Kelly's door was also open. He decided to go in. Sure enough, Kelly was in there. She was sitting on the bed looking at the walls and the toys on the ground.

"Kelly? Are you okay sweetheart?" He asked making his way over to her.

"Daddy, why don't we ever come in here anymore?" She asked.

"I don't know. It just makes us sad so we just don't come in." He said sitting down next to her.

"Why don't we ever talk about Nick anymore?"

"Well sweetie, that also makes us sad, but if you ever want to talk about him, we will, okay?" Finn said as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Can we talk about it now?"

Finn hesitated but then replied, "Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Why did he have to go away?" She asked in a small voice.

"Well, God just needed another angel up in heaven and he chose Nick."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure." He answered honestly.

Kelly thought for a moment before asking another question. "Why is Mommy still so sad?"

"She misses him. We both do."

"Yeah, but she isn't happy anymore."

"She lost a baby. She's gonna be sad for a while, but she'll get better. You just wait."

"Is there anything I can do to make her happier?" Kelly asked. Finn couldn't help, but smile at her.

"Well, I guess you could give her more hugs and kisses. I'm sure she'd like that."

"Okay. I will." Kelly said with a smile.

"That's my girl." Finn said kissing her head. "Now, how about you go and get some sleep? That would make both me and your momma happy."

"Okay." She stood up and made her way to the door.

"You want me to come tuck you in again?"

"No. I'm good. Night, Daddy."

"Night, baby." He watched her go in her room and shut the door. He looked back into the room. He wished it hadn't happened, but he knew wishing did him no good. He had learned that a long time ago. He turned out the light and closed the door again.

Later, in the middle of the night, Rachel was woken up by someone tugging her. She groaned and then slowly opened her eyes seeing a crying Kelly standing at her bedside holding her teddy bear.

"Kelly, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" The six year old nodded and continued to sob. Rachel sat up.

"What was it about, baby?" Her daughter looked off into space and she immediately knew what was wrong. This had happened before. Many times.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Kelly shook her head no and started tugging at the covers. Again, Rachel knew what she wanted.

"I take it you want to sleep in here tonight. Right?"

"Yes." She muttered.

"Okay. Climb in." Rachel said as she lifted the covers for her daughter.

Kelly crawled into the bed and snuggled up close to her mother with her bear in between them. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still wide open. Rachel rubbed small circles on the girl's back trying to soothe her. It seemed to help some, but Rachel knew of one way that always worked with Kelly.

Rachel started to softly hum a random lullaby. Humming had always soothed Kelly ever since she was a baby.

Once Kelly had finally fallen asleep, Rachel began to quietly cry to herself.

She hated what this had done to her family, to her. It was a horrible accident that still affected them. She looked over at Finn and knew that their relationship might never return to what it once was. For that, she was sad.

**A/N: So as stated before, I'm revising this story. I'm thinking of revising some of my other stories to. Even the incomplete ones. Most of what I post is the very first draft. I rarely keep it for a few days and edit it. Anyways, this one is done. Let me know what you think. Lots of Love!**


	4. Nice Day Turned Bad

**A/N: First off I have never been to New York, so don't judge my ignorance. Secondly, I do not own Glee. Thirdly, Please Read and Review. **

When Finn woke up the next morning, he felt a small arm wrapped around his neck. He turned over and was met with his eldest daughter's sleeping face. He worked his way out from under her arm and saw that Rachel was nowhere to be seen. He then remembered that she had to show up at work at seven. She wasn't supposed to be home until about 2. He slowly got up from the bed and slipped off into the bathroom to take a shower. When he got out he noticed Kelly wasn't there anymore. He stepped out of his bedroom and was met with the SpongeBob Squarepants theme coming from downstairs. Finn went downstairs where he found both his daughters' faces glued to the 45' plasma screen. He smiled to himself and decided to get them some cereal.

He yelled for them to come to the kitchen to eat, but there was no answer. He peeked his head out of the kitchen and saw that both girls had not moved an inch. He could keep trying to get them to come eat by calling for them or he could skip the rough part and just go get them. He walked up to the TV and turned it off.

"Come on, Daddy. That was the best part." Abby said giving her best pouty face.

"Well, you've seen it before so you know what happens. Come eat your cereal before it gets soggy. I have plans for us today and it starts with us eating breakfast." The girls reluctantly started making their way into the kitchen.

"Daddy, where is Mommy?" Abby asked.

"She's at work, Abs."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." She said as she sat in front of her usual princess bowl.

"Alright, girls, dig in. So I was thinking after we get done here, we could get dressed and go to Central Park and just hang out. Maybe take a picnic. I figure we can just spend the day there. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good, Daddy." Kelly replied. Abby nodded in agreement with her mouth full of Lucky Charms.

A couple of hours later, the three of them were walking around Central Park taking in the beautiful day. Once they found a place to just hang out for a while, Finn got a Nerf football out and got the girls to play catch with him. He had made sure his kids could pass a football.

"Throw it to me, Daddy!" Abby yelled holding her hands high above her head.

"Alright, Abs. Make sure you catch it!" He pulled his arm back and threw it to his daughter. She caught it, but it was a bit hard and she stumbled back before falling down. Finn ran over to check on her.

"Oh my gosh! Abby, are you okay, sweetie? I didn't mean to throw it that hard." When he got to her, she looked up at him with an ear-to-ear grin.

"I caught it, Daddy. I caught it." She giggled.

"Yeah, you did." He breathed a sigh of relief and helped her get up.

The rest of their outing was full of playing around, eating sandwiches, and talking. At around 1, Finn thought he should get the girls home. He hadn't left a note for Rachel and he knew she would worry if they weren't home by the time she got there. They were packing up when it started to rain. It seemed to come out of nowhere. He didn't even have an umbrella or the girls' raincoats. He mentally punched himself for not checking the weather before they left.

"Alright, girls, we got to get going before we get to wet." He said before unfolding their picnic blanket and covering the girls with it.

They walked to the closest street they could see and tried to hail a cab. While waiting, Finn reached in his back pocket for his wallet to see how much money he had. When he opened his wallet, he didn't have any money. He must have accidentally given all he had to the cab driver that had drove them to the park. When the cabbie noticed Finn's hesitation, he moved on.

"Daddy, why didn't we get in?" Abby asked.

"Well, I don't have any cash." He replied. "Come on, girls. We need to find an ATM." He started guided them down the street.

"But, Daddy, I'm getting cold and wet."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry. Here…" He took of his jacket and wrapped the girl up in it before they started to walk back.

That seemed to calm Abby a bit, but then a couple minutes later, Kelly spoke up.

"Daddy, can we stop? My feet hurt." She complained.

"Almost there, sweetheart."

Finn looked at his watch to see what time it was. 1:32. That wasn't good.

He noticed an ATM just a couple more buildings down and felt a small ray of hope. As he approached the ATM, he reached into his wallet and pulled out his debit card. It wasn't until they were right up next to the machine that he noticed a sign that read, "OUT OF ORDER."

His shoulders slumped and he looked up toward the sky as if to ask, "Why me?"

Finn looked down at his daughters and noticed that they were both soaked and shivering. He needed to get them inside somewhere.

Finn looked around for a place to stop. He noticed a small diner across the road and decided that would work. He led the girls into the diner and then helped them dry off for a moment. Then a waitress came over and asked them what they would like.

"Actually, we're just stopping for a moment to get out of the rain." He replied. He looked at his watch. 1:48. "Um, listen Ma'am, I'm out of cash and the ATM down the street was broken. Can I just get some cash back or something please?" He asked with his 'please help me out' smile.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't give cash back here." She replied. "If you aren't buying anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Can we at least stand in the front? My girls are cold. I don't want them to get sick."

"Not my problem, sir. Now if you wouldn't mind. I have paying customers to attend to." She left.

"Come on girls. Let's find somewhere else."

"Daddy, can't we just call Mommy to come get us?"

He thought about it for a moment. If he called her, she would for sure lecture him about not having enough money and then not taking proper care of her girls. But, he did get another idea.

"Puck?"

"Yeah. What do you want? I was getting ready for work."

"I need you to come get me and the girls. I'm out of cash and we need a ride back to the house."

After a moment of thought, Puck replied, "Alright, where are you? I have a little bit of time."

Once Puck arrived, they quickly loaded the car and rode home. Finn had the heat blasting on the girls. When they got home, Finn told Puck he owed him and Puck just grunted. As they were making their way to the door, Finn saw Rachel's car in the garage and knew that he was dead meat.

"Alright, girls, when we get in I want you both to head upstairs and get ready for a warm bath. I don't want you getting sick so no complaints." The girls nodded and ran into the house. The girls did what they were told as Finn tried to find Rachel. It wasn't that difficult when he heard her on the phone with Kurt asking if he knew where we were. She was practically yelling at him. Finn felt sorry for his brother, but he knew Kurt wasn't getting anywhere near the amount of scary Rachel that he was about to get.

"Rach?" She turned and almost fainted.

"Oh, Finn. Thank God!" She ran over and hugged him tight. For a moment he thought that maybe she would be more understanding than he had expected. "Where the heck were you? Are the girls okay?"

"Calm down. They are fine. We are only 30 minutes late." Finn said trying to skip over the details in hopes that she wouldn't notice. "I actually need to get their bath ready. Can you talk and walk with me?"

"Hold it. Finn Christopher Hudson, what the heck happened?" She screamed. There it was. Scary Rachel had emerged.

"Okay. So I took the girls to Central Park and we were having fun. Then at one I got us all packed up ready to come back and then it started raining. I took the picnic blanket out and gave it to the girls to keep them dry. It didn't work out too well. We then tried to get a cab, but I grabbed my wallet, but I was out of cash so we had to walk. The girls started complaining so I took them in a diner where we were kicked out of because I had no money. Then I got smart and called Puck on my cell. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, but I didn't. He picked us up and brought us back here. Now the girls are cold and wet and they need a bath so, I'm going to go give them one you are welcome to help." He said approaching the bottom of the stairs. He silently prayed that she would just drop it, but he knew better.

"How on earth could you be so IRRESPONSIBILE? I leave for a few hours and I come back and everything has turned to chaos."

"Rachel, calm down. The girls are fine. I'm fine. Nothing bad happened."

"NOTHING HAPPENED? Do you know how traumatizing this is going to be for them?"

"Oh yeah, like they aren't traumatized enough already…" Finn countered.

"What?"

"You know what I mean. Their brother dies and then their mom withdrawals from all things happy and you expect them not to come out a little traumatized! Really, Rach?"

"How dare you? I try. This isn't even about him right now! This is about the safety of my girls!" Oh, he had definitely hit a nerve.

"Well, newsflash, Rachel. At least I brought them home ALIVE!" He instantly regretted saying that, but he knew he couldn't take it back now.

Rachel didn't say anything. Instead, she ran upstairs. Once he heard their bedroom door shut, he knew he should let her be mad for a little while. He went up and helped the girls with their baths and then laid them down for a nap. He then decided he needed to clear his head, so he left the house and went where he always goes at times like these. Grueger's Bar.

**A/N: Just FYI, I'm now done with revising this chapter so enjoy. As always R&R! Lots of Love!**


	5. The Bar

**A/N: This chapter is short so enjoy.**

He entered the familiar establishment and made his way to his favorite bar stool.

"Hey, Puck? Can I have a scotch on the rocks, please?"

The bartender made his way over to his friend and poured him a drink.

"She let you have it?" Puck asked putting the bottle of scotch back.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have retaliated." Finn started sipping his drink as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh oh! What'd you say?"

"I told her that at least I brought the girls home alive."

"Whoa, dude. Way to be a jackass." Puck told him truthfully

"I know. I regretted it once I said it, but she was already running upstairs. I thought I'd give both of us a chance to cool off before I started to apologize." He then turned the glass up and chugged the rest of his drink.

"Yeah, well, just don't get to drunk. Okay?" Puck said pouring him another. "That'll just make her worse."

"Alright."

Puck left his friend to tend to other customers. Finn sat there and looked into his drink. How stupid could he be? He should have never said that.

A couple minutes passed and Finn decided to look around and observe what others were doing. He noticed another man, a little older than him, on down the bar. He looked miserable. His drink was gone and he was calling for another one.

Finn looked over toward the old jukebox and saw a young couple. He couldn't look for too long. They were making out like no one was looking. They kind of reminded him of how he and Rachel used to be. They would make out anywhere and everywhere they wanted. They didn't have a care in the world. Now, here they were. Married with kids, Unemployed, and both grieving the loss of their young son.

Finn was in deep thought when Puck came back over to him.

"Hey, man, I know that look." He said matter-of-factly. "You're thinking of him, huh?"

"Yeah. I just still can't believe it happened."

"I know man. I look at all the people that come in and out of here and I think, 'I hope they aren't driving.' or 'Should I take their keys?' It's tough, but you and Rachel have to get back to normal. Ya, know?"

"Yeah, especially for the girls. Kelly had another nightmare last night."

"I thought they had stopped."

"Me, too, but I woke up and there she was."

There was a beat of silence before Puck had a thought. "Hey, want to have some fun?"

"What are you talking about?" Finn asked knowing that his idea of fun and Puck's idea of fun were different.

"Boss man decided that he needed to increase his profit and he thinks that the way to do that is to have Karaoke night every Saturday night. We are about to start. You wanna be the first one?"

Finn thought for a second and then replied, "Yeah, I actually have the perfect song in mind."

"Great, just let me introduce ya."

Puck ran up on to the makeshift stage and explained the new idea before he brought Finn up on the stage. When Puck heard the first few bars of the song, he knew Finn had picked a good one.

Finn took a deep breath, calming himself and then started singing.

_She's all laid up in bed with a broken heart,_

_While I'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar,_

_And we don't know how,_

_How we got in to this mad situation,_

_Only doing things out of frustration_

_Trying to make it work but man these times are hard,_

_She needs me now but I can't seem to find the time,_

_I've got a new job now on the unemployment line,_

_And we don't know how,_

_How we got into this mess_

_is it God's test?_

_Someone help us 'cause we're doing our best,_

_Trying to make it work but man these times are hard_

_But we're gonna start by_

_Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,_

_Sit talking up all night,_

_Saying things we haven't for a while_

_A while ya_

_We're smiling but we're close tears,_

_Even after all these years,_

_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time_

_She's in line at the dole_

_With her head held high_

_While I just lost my job but_

_Didn't lose my pride_

_But we both know how,_

_How we're gonna make it work when it hurts,_

_When you pick yourself up,_

_You get kicked to the dirt,_

_Trying to make it work but,_

_Man these times are hard,_

_But we're gonna start by,_

_Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,_

_Sit talking up all night,_

_Doing things we haven't for a while,_

_A while ya,_

_We're smiling but we're close to tears,_

_Even after all these years,_

_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time._

_Yeah..._

_Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,_

_Sit talking up all night,_

_Saying thing we haven't for a while,_

_We're smiling but we're close to tears,_

_Even after all these years,_

_We just now got the feeling that we're meeting, for the first time_

_Oh these times are hard,_

_Yeah they're making us crazy_

_Don't give up on me baby_

When he finished the song, he got a loud round of applause. He nodded his thanks to the crowd and then to Puck. Then he hopped off the stage and sprinted out the door. He had something he needed to make right.

**A/N: Short chapter, even after revision. Well, there's another one down. Let me know what ya think, R&R. Lots of Love!**


	6. Forgiveness

When he got home, he noticed that all the lights were out except for the light in the foyer and one from upstairs. He walked in and dropped his keys on the table. He went into the kitchen and found that she had left him some lasagna. Probably out of habit. He didn't feel too hungry so he put it back in the fridge and then made his way upstairs.

Finn was surprised to see the door to Nick's room open and the light on. He peeked in and saw Rachel. Her shaking back was to the door as she lay on the bed and clutched Blackey, Nick's old teddy bear. He slowly walked into the cold room. The walls were a bright blue. The kind of blue that was supposed to make you feel happy or, at least, that's what Rachel had told them when she came home with the paint. While most of the room was neat and tidy, there were still a few toy cars on the floor next to the wooden toy box along with a sock that was halfway under the dresser. No matter how much they had asked him to, Nick never seemed to remember to put his things away. Thinking back, was it really that important?

A sniffle from the bed caught his attention and pulled him from his thoughts. Finn made his way over to the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel?" She shook her head and snuggled closer to the bed. He could see her grip on the teddy bear tighten. It was like she was holding onto it for dear life.

"Rach. I am so sorry for what I said and how I acted. I didn't mean it. I..."

"Go away.." Was all she said.

"Rachel, we need to talk about this. You know how I feel about going to bed angry."

"I don't want to talk about it." She said before letting loose the tears she had been holding in since he had arrived. She cried and whimpered like she had never done before. Finn hated seeing her like this.

"Oh, Rachel. I'm sorry." He said sitting on the bed beside her and trying to pull her into his arms. She pushed him off, turned, and sat up so he could see her face.

"Shut up! You have no idea how it feels to be the one who let him die in your arms."

"Rachel, you didn't _let_ him die. You tried to save him. There was nothing you could have done."

She just continued to sob. He knew he was risking her getting angrier at him, but decided to try to hold her again. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her tight. She tried to break loose, but he was not loosening his grip. She finally gave in, put the bear down, and held onto Finn. She cried into his shirt for what seemed like hours even though it was only a couple of minutes.

After she calmed down, he looked down expected to see her asleep, but her eyes were wide open and just staring at his shirt. Her face was lined with worry or fear. He couldn't tell which.

"I'm sorry." She said feeling his eyes on her.

"Baby, you have nothing to be sorry for." He reassured her as he kissed the top of her head.

"Yeah, I do. You were right when you said I have been withdrawn. I just have no idea how to be happy if, he isn't here." She rubbed her eyes on his shirt.

"Me neither, but we have to try for the girls. If we aren't happy, then they won't be either." She nodded in agreement.

"I know. And I'm also sorry for the way I've been treating you. I don't mean to be so judgmental or to nag you so much. I guess I'm just taking my anger out on you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry for blaming you for what happened. I know it was not your fault, but I guess I just needed someone to blame or else I would blame myself. Rachel, please forgive me."

She looked up at him and smiled before placing a soft kiss on his chin. They sat there for the next few minutes, not saying anything. Just listening to each other breathe. It was getting late and he knew that she had to work the next day.

"Rach, how bout we go to bed now?" He suggested.

"Alright."

He stood up and reached for her hand which she grabbed as he helped pull her up. He led her out of the room and turned off the light. He was going to close the door, but she stopped him.

"Let's just leave it open, okay?" He nodded and then led her to their bedroom.

He was going to let go of her hand so that he could change, but before he could she pulled him closer to her. She then brought his head down with her free hand and kissed him passionately on the lips. He thought about pulling back, but quickly decided against it. They stood there for a while just kissing. Then Rachel decided she wanted more. She moved her kisses to his neck and then below his ear.

"Please, Finn. It's been so long." She whispered into his ear.

After the long day they had had, he knew they both needed this. And it was the way they usually made up after a fight. He turned around to shut the door and lock it. Then he lifted her up bridal style and then gently laid her on the bed.

He looked at his wife and gave her a sad smile that she returned. They spent the rest of the night rediscovering and comforting each other before they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

**A/N: I have finished revising this chapter so read away. It's another short one so it shouldn't take long. R&R. Lots of Love!**


	7. A Good Day for Once

**A/N: So this chapter really doesn't have much of a plotline, but I thought it would be cool to just take a step back from all the drama. Please Review.**

When Rachel woke up the next morning, she was still in Finn's arms and it felt good. She looked up and was met by Finn's gorgeous eyes. He smiled at her and she did the same.

"Good morning, beautiful." He said as he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Good morning to you, too."

They continued to lay there looking in each other's eyes before she broke the silence.

"Finn, are we going to be okay?" She asked bluntly.

"Yeah, I think so." He replied with his signature smile.

"Me too. I'd hate to lose you. We've already lost so much." She started to tear up.

"Rach, everything will be alright as long as we stick together, okay?" She nodded and smiled again.

"I guess I better go make the girls some breakfast. Would you get them up?"

"Sure." He said as he got up and started putting some clothes on.

After Rachel had left to go fix breakfast, Finn went to go wake up the girls. He went to wake up Abby first. She was a little groggy and didn't want to get up.

"Why do I have to get up, Daddy?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Because if you sleep all day, you won't sleep tonight and plus you don't want to miss all the fun do you?"

"No." She quietly muttered.

"Good, now I put you some clothes on the edge of your bed. Get changed and come downstairs for breakfast. If you don't, I'm going to have to send the tickle monster to come get you."

She giggled and then started to get out of bed. Finn then moved on and went to wake up Kelly. She was always easier to wake because all he had to do was open the door. It was like she knew he was coming.

"Daddy?" She said from the bed.

"Yes, Kelly, it's me. You need to get dressed and come downstairs for breakfast, okay?"

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Are you and Mommy okay now?"

He went over to her bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Yes, sweetie. Everything's back to normal, okay?"

She smiled, "Okay."

He then went downstairs and helped Rachel cook up some waffles. Once they had all had their breakfast, Rachel had to go to work. Finn told her he and the girls were going to have a movie marathon day at home so she didn't have to worry. She kissed him for that.

"So Abby, what movie do you want to watch?" Finn asked after Rachel left.

"Why does she get to choose?" Kelly whined.

"You can choose the next one and then I'll choose. I just figure, she will only be able to stay up for one and then she'll probably get bored and want to play with toys." He whispered in Kelly's ear causing her to let out a giggle at how true it was.

"How about Sleeping Beauty?" The five year old asked oblivious to what her dad and sister were up to.

"Sounds good. How would ya'll like some popcorn?" Both girls started jumping up and down. Rachel didn't like to let them have "unhealthy" foods so he would spoil them from time to time just to make them happy. They had yet to tell her about it.

Finn was right when he told Kelly that Abby would get bored. 15 minutes into the movie, she left to go play with some dolls in her room. Kelly looked at her dad.

"Can we please change the movie?"

"Alright. What do you want to watch?" He said as he stood to go take the movie out.

"The Game Plan."

"Are you sure? There are so many other choices." He said just to play with her.

"Yep, I'm positive."

"Okay then."

He popped in the disc and then sat back down beside his daughter as they continued to make their dent in the bowl of popcorn. It was fun getting to spend time with Kelly and this was a father daughter movie. Finn was okay with her choice because of the football aspect of it. They were about halfway through when Kelly asked him a question.

"Daddy, why didn't you end up playing football like Peyton's dad? I know how much you like it and you seem pretty good or at least I think so."

"Well, Kel, it's not as easy as it seems to become a pro football player. There are so many people who want to do that."

"Why can't you just try, though. You need a job anyway. That could be your job." She said.

"I'd love to Kelly, but it's just unrealistic for me. After all, I'm kinda old for a football player."

"I think you could still do it, Daddy." She said as her attention returned to the screen.

He thought about it and then made up his mind that he would look into it. Maybe not a player. Maybe a coach or something like that. His thoughts drifted away as his attention also returned to the movie.

After The Game Plan was over, he asked Kelly if she wanted to watch another, but she said she would rather take a nap.

"Alright. Sounds good. I think I'll take one two."

"Hey, Daddy, can I sleep with you in the big bed?" Kelly asked with a yawn.

"Sure, but I need to check on Abby first so you go ahead."

"Okay." She walked upstairs as he was cleaning up their mess. He had to destroy the evidence before Rachel got home.

When he was done, we went upstairs and found Abby asleep on her floor. He picked her up and was going to put her in her bed, but decided to just let her sleep with him and Kelly in the "big bed". He carried her into his room and found Kelly already knocked out on Rachel's side of the bed. He placed Abby on his side and then crawled to the middle of the bed and got everyone under the covers before nodding off himself.

When Rachel came home that day, the house was quiet. She thought Finn had taken the girls out again, but soon heard him snoring and followed the noise all the way to their bedroom. When she went in the room, she smiled to herself as she saw both her girls holding onto their daddy. They must have had a good day.

**A/N: There wasn't much to change in this chapter so, it was fairly easy to revise. Lots of Love! Please R&R!**


	8. The House

A few weeks later, Rachel was waiting on her tables when she spotted someone that seemed familiar. She kept racking her brain, but she could not remember who he was. She continued working. One of her co-workers, Annie, came over and asked to speak to her.

"What did you want to talk about?" Rachel asked anxious to get back to work.

"Do you know who the man is at table 8?" Annie asked.

"Uh, well, he kind of looks familiar, but not really." Rachel replied.

"Okay, so here goes. I was talking to him and he said that he has directed several productions on Broadway. He said that he is working on a new production in which he is casting undiscovered people. He doesn't want anyone big. He told me to keep an eye out for those people and then he gave me his number so that if I find someone I can recommend them. I told him that I knew someone. He asked who and I said you. He wants to meet with you, like now." Annie says in one breath.

"Why didn't you start with that? What are we waiting for?" Rachel said as she grabbed Annie's wrist pulling her towards the table.

"Mr. Fulbright? Here is the waitress I was talking about." Annie said as soon as they reached the table. Mr. Fulbright looked up from his paper and took a good look at Rachel.

"Hi, Mr. Fulbright. I'm Rachel Berry." Rachel said extending her hand for him to shake.

"Have a seat." He said ignoring her hand.

After she asked Annie to cover her tables, Rachel sat in front of Mr. Fulbright waiting to see what he says.

"Ms. Berry? That sounds familiar. Do I know you?"

"I'm not sure. I feel like I should remember you, but I'm blanking." She said nervously.

He thought for a second. "What a minute! Rachel Berry. Yes, you auditioned for one of my shows a few years ago. You were spectacular! The only reason we didn't hire you was because I wanted someone with more experience and blonde hair. Wow. What luck." He said smiling.

"Sir? Does this mean you'll consider me for the part your looking for?"

"Why, of course, but you'll need to formerly audition for me and the rest of the crew. I'm going to give you an address. Please come by on Tuesday at 2. At the door, state your name and tell them you are there to see me. They'll send you right in. Okay?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes. Yes! A thousand times yes!" Rachel said jumping out of her seat.

After Mr. Fulbright left, Rachel couldn't stop smiling. She smiled through an order gone wrong, an upset mother, and some guy hitting on her. She couldn't wait to tell Finn when she got home.

"Finn? Finn?" Rachel yelled as she entered the house at one in the afternoon.

She went into the kitchen to see if he was eating. She went to the study to see if he was on the laptop. She finally decided he must be upstairs. When she found him, he was sprawled out on the bed lying on his stomach. He wasn't moving which caused her to freak out a bit before he let out a sigh.

"Finn?" She asked. He turned over and got up at the sound of her voice.

"Rach? Hey, babe." He said as he kissed her forehead.

"What's wrong?" She asked worrying.

"Uh… Come sit down, babe. We have a problem." He said as he led her to the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"I got this in the mail today." He held up an envelope. "I called an accountant to figure out if we were going to be okay. He said right now we are losing money. Our biggest factor is the house. He highly recommended that we sell and find another place." Rachel was crying by now.

"Finn? What are we going to do?"

"I guess we have to sell. Maybe we can find a smaller house." She nodded as she leaned into his arms.

"What are we going to tell the girls?"

"The truth."

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about what they were going to do. They decided to go house hunting in the morning while the girls are in school. Rachel didn't tell Finn about her audition. She didn't want him to get his hopes up. She should know about the part before they even come close to selling the house.


	9. House Hunting

**A/N: Again, I have never been to NY so don't judge me. Also, I need a name of a play that Rachel could be in, but hasn't been overused in FF like Wicked has been. Please read and review.**

The next morning, Finn and Rachel woke up bright and early…. 6 am. They got the girls up and ready and then had breakfast. Then they took Kelly to school. Abby then went with them house hunting.

The first home they came to was a three bedroom with two bathrooms. It was one story, but the price was outrageous.

"Rach, I don't think we can afford this." Finn stated once they saw the price.

"This house is a steal at this price. You won't find one this big and nice at a lower price." Their realtor, Karen said.

"Well, I guess we're going to have to change our criteria." He said.

"Yeah." Rachel said sadly.

"Do you mind if we take a moment to talk about it?" Finn asked Karen.

"Take your time." She replied.

Finn turned to Rachel, "Babe, we definitely can't afford this. Or at least according to my accountant."

"But Finn, this is what we need. This is the bare minimum."

"Not really. We could put the girls in one room. We could settle for a place without a separate dining room. Babe, we can settle."

"I don't want to share a room with Kelly. She's mean." Abby whined.

"Abby, we might not have a choice." Rachel told the girl patting her on the back.

"Let's go look at another."

They left the first house and went to a much smaller two bedroom/ two bath house that was in a not so nice neighborhood. As soon as they stepped out of the car, a gun shot rang out and Rachel picked Abby up and leaped back into the car. That wasn't going to work. They were driving back to the realtor's office so that they could locate safer options.

"Okay, so I think I know a way for you guys to get what you want without spending too much." Karen said as they went into the office. Finn's ears perked up.

"Well, don't keep us waiting!" Finn said.

"How about an apartment or a flat. You won't get a big yard or a swimming pool, but you can get a pretty big one and just pay rent which might be able to be a fixed rate." She said.

"I don't know. Do think the girls would be okay with that, Finn?" Rachel asked.

"Well, let's go see one and se what Abby thinks. If she's okay with it, Kelly might be too." Finn said.

They soon arrived at an apartment building that had a view of central park and was even close to the diner where Rachel worked. It was a huge apartment with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It had a large kitchen and a wonderful living room.

"Finn, this looks amazing. How are we able to afford this versus that house? This is New York." Rachel said.

"Well, this building is owned by a fairly wealthy man. The only reason he owns it is because his wife really wanted it and he found out it was for sell. He remodeled the whole place and then took the apartment upstairs for him and his wife. He rents it out at a low rate so that he doesn't worry about getting the money. You see the more a place costs the harder it is to get people to pay up. You would think he would be losing money, but he is actually making a profit. Anyways, this apartment just came up and I thought it would fit you perfectly." Karen explained.

"Wow. Finn, this place is amazing."

"We'll do it. We'll move here." Finn stated.

"Wait, what about Abby?" Rachel said before located the girl looking out the window. "Abby girl, what do you think? Would you want to live here?"

"Mommy, I can see the park from here! And look, I saw that building on TV yesterday!" Abby exclaims.

"I think she's good." Finn said. "What do you think, Rachel?"

"Can't we think about it for a while?" Rachel asked Karen.

"You could, but the apartment will get picked up pretty quickly if you wait." Karen said.

"Okay, I guess we can go for it." Rachel replied. Just then her cell phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID. "Finn can you give me a second. Show Abby around." Finn went with Karen and Abby down the hall, deeper into the apartment.

"Hello?" Rachel answered.

"Ms. Berry?" A deep voice said.

"Yes, that's me." Rachel said.

"Hi. My name is Howard Goud. I am calling on behalf of Mr. Fulbright. He wanted me to make sure that you will be here for your audition tomorrow at 2." He said.

"Yes. I will be there." Rachel said quietly.

"Great. Do you know how to get here?"

"Yes, I have been there before. Many times."

"Good. Good. Well, I'll let you go then and we will see you tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks." She hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Finn asked as he reentered the room.

"Oh.. It was Annie. She wanted to see if I could work tomorrow from 1 to 5. I told her yes. Is that okay?" Rachel lied.

"Yeah… Why wouldn't it be?" Finn asked curious to Rachel's behavior.

"Just checking." She said walking over to him, giving him a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too, babe." Finn said awkwardly hugging her back.

They signed the papers that day for the apartment. Rachel hoped they wouldn't be able to sell the house before she heard about the part. She liked the apartment, but did not want to move into a smaller place.


	10. The Audition

**A/N: So this was quickly written. Ignore any grammar mistakes. Enjoy! Please Review. It makes me happy and want to write.**

The next day, Rachel left Finn at home with Abby while she went to "work". When she arrived at the familiar address, she got out and walked up to the door. She saw a doorman.

"How may I help you, Miss?"

"I'm here to see Mr. Fulbright. My name is Rachel Berry." She replied nervously.

"Oh right. He is very excited to see you." The doorman smiled.

He led her to an elevator where he told her how to get to the room where she would be auditioning. Once she was on the elevator by herself, she started running over her audition song in her head so that she was sure she had it down. When she got off the elevator, she made her way down a hall to a room. The door was open so she knocked on it and made herself visible.

"Mr. Fulbright?" She asked.

He appeared from the far end of the room. "Ms. Berry! Come on in." He motioned for her to make her way further in the room. She was then able to see three other people in the room.

"Ms. Berry, this is Roy Donald, Shelia Gouge, and Laurie Hans! They are helping me with casting." He said pointing them out. Rachel shook each of their hands and then they all took a seat except Rachel who was left standing in front of them.

"Well, let's get this started why don't we. So, Ms. Berry what we need you to do is sing us a song of your choice. Then we want you to give us a dry reading of our script. And, lastly, we need you to sing one of our songs. Okay?" Roy said

"Sounds good." She said composing herself to sing.

"Whenever you're ready." Laurie said.

Rachel opened her mouth and started to sing like she had never sung before. She sang like her life depended on it and in some ways it did. She sung the melody so well that the group sitting before her forgot that she did not even have music. Once she had finished, the group wasn't able to speak. Mr. Fulbright was the one who broke the silence.

"Wow, Ms. Berry. Wow. That was spectacular." He looked to the others and sawing them nodding in agreement. "Alright, now if you could please read this sections of the script. You will be reading for Kendall and I will be reading for Matt. Ready?" She nodded so he started out.

"What do you think you're doing?" He read. "Are you trying to mess this up? Do you not love me?"

"Of course I do, Matt. I love you more than life itself. I just… I need to find myself. I know it sounds cliché, but all I've ever done is try to please people. I have never done anything for me. I don't even know who I am. How can I marry you if I don't know who I really am?" Rachel read with emotion.

"I know you. I always have. And deep down you know who you are too. You are the sweetest, most outspoken, most beautiful woman I have ever met. You are using an identity crisis as an excuse to run away. You can't tell me that's not true. I want to marry you. Please don't do this."

"I'm sorry, but this is my choice. I have to go."

"End of scene." Mr. Fulbright said. He looked up at Rachel. "That was excellent. Your emotion really shined through. If you don't mind, I would like you to read one more section." He told her the page number and had her start this time.

"Hey, Matt. It's me. I know you probably don't want to speak with me right now, but I need to speak with you. I miss you. I know you probably don't care, but I do. I'm so sorry for what I did. You were right. You always are. I love you. Bye." Rachel started.

"Kendall?" Mr. Fulbright read.

"Matt? What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you. I just saw your performance. It was amazing as always."

"Matt, I'm so glad you're here. I want to apologize for what I did. You were right. I just needed an excuse. Please forgiv….." The part read that Matt cuts Kendall off with a kiss.

"End of Scene. Good, Ms. Berry. Now, we need you to sing part of a song for the production. It isn't nearly done, but the idea is still there. Do the best you can with it." Laurie said.

Rachel received the sheet music which included the lyrics. Mr. Donald walked over to the piano and started playing.

_I've been running on instinct alone for the past few days._

_My mind is roaming in so many different ways._

_People keep passing me by without another thought._

_Forgetting those simple manners they were taught._

_They can't see what is really bothering me._

_I just want them to see…_

_I need to get out, get out of this place._

_I need to step out of this random rat race._

_I don't want to be just another face in the yearbook._

_I need to gain a new perspective and a different look._

_Find what's inside and see what I can make out of it._

_Dig down deep and see if that fire is still lit._

When she finished with the unpolished song, she looked up and saw Mr. Fulbright smiling. "That's all we need today. We will call you within the next few days with our decision. Thank you for coming in."

"No, thank you for this opportunity." Rachel said. She shook the hands of everyone again before leaving and going back home.

That night Rachel made dinner and hung out with her family all the while worrying about the audition. She really needed it.

Maybe, just maybe this will work out. She thought.


	11. The BandAid

**A/N: Hey, all! Sorry for the long wait. Exams are coming up and Golf has taken over my life. I got inspired when I had to put a Toy Story Band-Aid on my knee a little while ago. Read, Enjoy, and Review.**

"Daddddyyyy! It hurts! Fix it!" Kelly screamed.

He ran back into the living room. He looked at the sobbing girl in front of him and it broke his heart. "Hang on, baby girl. I got to clean it off. This might sting. Okay?" He warned.

She nodded. He poured a drop of peroxide on her scraped up knee and he could swear she busted his ear drums. "Kelly, baby, calm down." He continued cleaning the cut and she continued screaming about it.

Kelly was outside riding her bike in the driveway. She made too sharp a turn and it caused her to fall down. Finn ran out once he heard the ear curdling scream. He was worried beyond belief. Once he saw her siting on the driveway holding his knee, he breathed a sigh of relief, but still knew she was in pain. He had picked her up and carried her into the house. She hadn't stopped crying since she fell.

He finished cleaning up her knee. She had calmed down a bit and was just quietly sobbing.

"Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!" Finn said as he put the Toy Story Band-Aid on his little girl. He then bent down and kissed the Band-Aid before pulling her into a tight hold trying to calm her down even more.

He turned on the TV and switched it to Spongebob Squarepants. He sat there for an entire episode, holding Kelly until he finally heard her laugh. He then knew she was going to be just fine.

His started thinking back to when he and Rachel had learned they were going to have a little girl. He was excited. Sure he wanted a boy. What man doesn't? But he was excited to have a little Rachel. Someone who he would have to take care of. A little girl that would have him wrapped around her little finger. Looking down at Kelly he knew that she truly did have him wrapped around her finger and so did Abby. He smiled thinking about his girls.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. He stood from the couch and looked back at Kelly to make sure she was okay. She was entranced by the show and didn't even notice him leave the room.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Yes. Is Rachel Berry there?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"Uh.. no. She should be back soon. Can I take a message?" Finn asked curious to whom he was talking to.

"Yes. Can you tell her to call Mr. Fulbright? She has the number. Tell her it's about her audition."

Finn was awestruck. He had no idea she had had an audition. She normally told him every time she had an audition. "Um. Sure." He hung up. And decided he would just ask her about it later. He went back into the living room to watch some more Spongebob Squarepants with his daughter.

About 20 minutes later, his wife came through the door with Abby. She was carrying some groceries she had picked up. Abby liked going because she normally got candy out of it.

"Finn, why is Kelly's bike in the middle of the driveway? I couldn't pull all the way in." She said as she rushed to put the groceries in the kitchen.

"Sorry about that, babe. She fell and I had to fix her boo-boo." Finn said as he shut the door behind his wife and then picked Abby up giving her a hug and kiss.

Rachel walked over to Kelly and sat down beside her on the couch. She noticed her daughters tear-stained face. "Did Daddy make it all better?" She asked.

"Yeah. It still hurts though, but it's better." Kelly replied not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Good. Abby, how about you watch TV with Kelly and Daddy can help me put the groceries up?" Rachel said as she made her way back into the kitchen.

Finn sat Abby down next to her sister and followed Rachel into the kitchen. When he got in there, she was trying to put the cereal on the top shelf. Trying to, but failing. He reached over her and put it up with ease. She turned around and came face-to-face with his chest. He bent down and gave her a soft kiss.

"Hi." He said.

"Hi." She said smiling.

"Let's finish putting this stuff up. I have to talk to you about something." He said as he backed up and grabbed a box of oatmeal.

After they were finished with the groceries, Rachel started cooking dinner. Finn sat down at the bar and watched.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Rachel asked as she added some garlic to some sauce.

"Well, I got an interesting phone call today. One from a Mr. Fulbright. Something about an audition." He saw her freeze on the spot. "Rach?"

She turned around and walked over to him. "I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to get your hopes up." She said.

"Rachel… I… you need to have more confidence in yourself. I never thought I'd have to say that, but it's true. I'm not mad that you didn't tell me. I t was just weird." He grabbed her hands. He lead her over to the phone. "Call him. If you got the part, we'll celebrate. If you didn't, I'm here for you, okay?"

She nodded and dialed the number.

"Hello, this is Rachel Berry…yeah… Really?... When?...Okay… Okay… Thanks soo much!" She practical screamed the last part. She put the phone down and jumped into Finn's arms. That's all she needed to do for him to know that she got the part. He twirled her around the kitchen while she screamed and yelped. The girls came in the kitchen wondering what was going on.

"Mommy? What happened?" Kelly asked.

"I think they've lost it." Abby whispered to her sister. "Whatever 'it' is."

Finn put Rachel down and then said, "Mommy got a part on… What is this a Broadway thing?" He asked. Rachel nodded and continued to jump up and down. Once the girls realized what was going on they started jumping up and down, too. Even Finn joined in on the happy jumping. For once, they were as happy as could be. Everything was going to be alright.


	12. The Room

**A/N: So this one is sad. I am avoiding my studying to write this. Also, listening to JB. Not a fan, but songs can be catchy. Can't wait for Glee to come back!**

Later that night, after the girls had gone to bed, Rachel finished cleaning up the kitchen while Finn set up a movie and started popping some popcorn. He was standing next to the microwave waiting on it to finish. Rachel was trying to wait until the right moment to ask a question that has been bothering her for the longest time and she figured now was as good a time as any.

"Finn?" She said catching his attention.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"I was just wondering about something." She said looking at the floor.

"What is it, babe?" He asked kind of worried.

"Well, since I got the part, does that mean we don't have to move? I mean I should make enough to support us and pay the bills. Right?"

He tried to answer her question as best he could. "Well, you're right that you will be making enough so that we don't have to move, but I think we still have to move. We are in the hole. We are in debt. It's going to take a few months to crawl out of the hole. I would rather not move, but I think we are going to have to." He said walking over to her. "But we can look into places with a higher price range like maybe that house. You know the three bedroom one?" He said offering her a smile.

"I guess." She quietly replied. She then made her way into the living room. Finn felt like he had just told her someone died.

A week later, they were packing up the house. They decided to move into the apartment. It was closer to where Rachel would be rehearsing, Abby absolutely loved it, and they figured they could move into a house in a few years. Rachel had organized a plan on how they were going to pack. She assigned rooms to each person, making sure that each room had a girl and either Rachel or Finn, well except her and Finn's room.

They had already filled three trucks full of stuff and they still had a few rooms to go. One of which, Rachel did not want to have to go through. She was trying to keep herself busy helping Kelly pack up.

"Mommy, I don't want to move!" Kelly complained for the 16th time that day. She was upset because moving meant a new school.

"Kelly, we've been over this. We have to move. You will make new friends. You'll see." Rachel replied for the 16th time that day. She knew Kelly was upset about leaving her friends and even more anxious about the new kids. She was used to being "popular" in her class and did not want to lose that. She reminded Rachel so much of Finn. They finished in the next few minutes. Rachel was taking the last box downstairs.

"Hey, babe." Finn greeted as he took the box from her. He had gone to get more boxes.

"Hey." Rachel said as she leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek. He put the box off to the side and came back over to her.

"So… You know what we've got to do. Right?" Finn asked knowing she was thinking about it, too.

"Yeah. Can we put a movie on for the girls while we do it?" Rachel asked looking up with sad eyes that broke his heart into a million pieces.

He followed her wishes and put on an animated movie for the girls to watch, glad they hadn't gotten to the living room yet. He then grabbed a few boxes and her hand and went upstairs. They approached the room and both stopped a few feet before walking in. Finn gave Rachel's hand an encouraging squeeze and proceeded to lead her into the room.

"Alright. Um… I'll start with the closet. You wanna start with the dresser?" Finn asked.

Once he saw her nod, he made his way to the closet, tripping over a toy car. A few minutes into the packing, he heard Rachel sniffling and turned to see her face crying into a small T-shirt. He walked over to her and held her from behind. They stayed like that for a few moments before she spoke.

"I just… I just wonder what he would be like today. You know? Would he play sports? Would he stick up for his sisters? Do you ever thinking about that, Finn?" She asked quietly sobbing.

"Yeah. I mean I wanted to be at his first football game or choir concert or see him go to prom. I even planned out what I would tell him on his wedding day." Finn said as he started crying into the back of Rachel's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Finn. I'm sorry, I screwed it all up." Rachel said as her sobs deepened.

Finn spun her around, held her face so that they were eye-to-eye, and said, "Rach, none of this was your fault. You hear me? You weren't the one that crashed into the car. You were not the one that ran that light. You are not at fault. The one who is, is behind bars. But this is NOT your fault. You understand me?" He said not losing eye contact with her. She nodded and then he held her for a few more moments before he spoke again.

"How bout you go watch the movie with the girls and I'll finish in here? " He asked

Rachel immediately shook her head. "This will be the last time I'll get to look through everything that we have left of Nick. I'd rather go through it. "

It took them about an hour and a half to pack up his room between the tears and memories. Sure they cried a lot, but they also laughed about some of the things they would remember after picking up certain items in his room. When they were finished placing the remaining boxes in the truck, they went back up to his empty room. They stood in the doorway with their arms around the others waist.

"I think we're doing the best thing." Finn said referring to their decision to give most of Nick's stuff to the Salvation Army. Rachel nodded. They weren't going to use the stuff ever again. They kept some things they could not bear to part with, but gave most of the stuff away.

They then shut the door and made their way downstairs to join their two small girls. They were a family no matter how broken.


	13. Openning Night and Christmas Shopping

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry for making you wait.. Had exams and states. Been busy. I wrote this on the way home the other night. No this not the end. In fact, I have no idea when this will ever end, but I hope to have a better idea after a few more chapters. Let me know how you like it. If you hate it, stop reading. It's as simple as that. ;)**

A few weeks had passed since the move. Abby was enjoying the city so much. Kelly was adjusting, but slowly. Finn was still visiting the unemployment office every few days looking for something good. Rachel was having the time of her life at rehearsals. She came home every night showing Finn some sort of dance move she learned or a new song that they had gone over that day. This was the first time in a long time that she seemed like the old Rachel Berry.

Her show was premiering two weeks before Christmas and she had been able to get three tickets on the front row for Finn and the girls.

The day of the premiere, Finn was running around the apartment trying to get the girls ready, not to mention himself. They had three hours until they needed to leave and he still needed to make Abby take her bath, and find Kelly's shoes which were somewhere in her mountain of footwear. Once Abby was in the tub and Kelly was walking around the apartment so she could make noise, he finally went into his room and laid out his tux. He went into the master bath and shaved. He couldn't help, but smile at the thought of Rachel on stage.

Three hours later, the three of them were sitting in traffic on their way to the show. The girls were whiny because they had to sit still and Finn was afraid the bouquet of flowers in his hands wouldn't survive the night. He was starting to wonder if he would.

They finally made it to the show with about thirty minutes until the show started.

"Alright, Abby, here is your Coke and here is your Sierra Mist, Kel." The girls looked up at their father as he grabbed their hands and made his way towards the theater entrance. He handed the tickets to the usher and the man in uniform led them to their seats in the front row. They sat down, Finn in the middle so the girls would behave.

When there were about ten minutes until show time, the same usher came up to them. "Mr. Hudson?"

Finn nodded.

"I have a request for you to come backstage with me for a moment."

"What about my girls?" Finn asked knowing this had something to do with Rachel.

"One of the other ushers is on her way to watch them while you are gone. It won't be long." He replied.

Finn told the girls to behave themselves and that he would be right back. He followed the usher through some doors and down some halls until they approached a door with a giant gold star that said Rachel Berry on it. He smiled and then knocked. The door was immediately pulled open. There stood the most beautiful woman he had ever known.

"My,my, my. If isn't Ms. Rachel Berry in person. I can't believe I actually get to meet you!" Finn practically yelled. She pulled him into the room and shut the door. She walked over to where he was standing and kissed him passionately. A few moments later, he pulled back.

"What was that for?" He asked trying to catch his breath.

"I just wanted to thank you for this. For coming with me to New York. For always being there and not giving up on my dreams even when I wanted to." She smiled. She walked over to the mirror and fix her make-up. He followed and stood behind her. He watched as she cleaned off the smudged lipstick around her mouth. She then turned around and cleaned the lipstick off of him, as well.

He stayed with her until a stagehand came in and told her she needed to hurry up. They both stood up and walked out of the room hand-in-hand. Before she went off, he said, "Break a leg."

She smiled at the familiar saying as she leaned in to hug him. "I love you." She said.

That night, her show went off without a hitch. She was perfect. Her performance was flawless and Finn told her so after meeting her backstage with the girls to give her the flowers.

Once Rachel arrived home that night, Finn could have sworn she talked his ear off. She went on and on about how amazing the show was even though so many things went wrong. Her wardrobe had been mixed up with another actress'. Her costar, Nicholas was running way late. He didn't even make it to the dress rehearsal. Mr. Fulbright had already called in his understudy. The make-up artist was called off to a family emergency and they had to find a replacement. The replacement had no clue what the make-up should look like. Even though she was talking about how everything went wrong, she couldn't stop smiling.

When he woke up the next morning, Finn looked over at Rachel. Still asleep and smiling.

As Christmas approached, Finn found out how hard it was to buy presents for the girls. Rachel normally did it, but since she was so busy, he was forced into it. The problem wasn't that the gifts were too expensive or that they were hard to find. The problem was how many different versions of the same thing. How many Barbie dolls can there be? And how many different outfits are there for said Barbie dolls? After just one day, with the girls' wish list, he felt more confused than ever.

When Rachel came home that night, he decided to have her help him figure out exactly what to get the girls. She was good at stuff like this.

"So I.. uh.. have no idea what to get the girls." He mumbled.

She looked up from her dinner. "I thought they made you a list." She replied.

"Well, ya see, they weren't very specific in their list and I really don't know what to pick when they say Barbie doll or T-shirt." He said quietly, embarrassed.

"Well, Barbie was on Abby's list, right?" He nodded. "Okay, well she already has a beach Barbie. They actually, just came out with a New York Barbie, so that would be perfect for her. I know, Abby wanted a horse T-shirt so anything with a horse on it. Oh and that's a horse, NOT a unicorn. I gave you there sizes, right?"

"Yeah. How about we just wait for your next day off and go. There is no way, I'll remember this." He said with a worried look on his face.

"OR we could order online, while I'm home. It would be easier." She replied.

"Why didn't you tell me to do that in the first place?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you could handle being Santa Claus or not." She said with a smile.

He looked at her with a curious face. "Wait did you plan out my disaster of a shopping trip?"

"No." She said in a sarcastic tone.

Later that night, they went online and ordered ALL of the girls' Christmas presents.


	14. Christmas Surprise

**A/N: Sorry for the super long wait. Writer's block + Senior Year= No ff. Also THE END is near! Anyways, please R&R and Enjoy!**

When Christmas morning arrived, the girls woke them up by jumping on their king sized bed.

"Mommmmy! Daddddyy! It's Christmaaaaasssss!" They yelled in unison.

Finn rolled over and fell off the bed. "I'm up." He moaned.

Rachel giggled. "Off the bed girls. Go to your rooms until we come get you, okay?" The girls were not allowed to go check out the loot without Finn and Rachel.

The girls did as they were told.

"Come on, big guy. It's Christmas!" Rachel said as she tried to help Finn up.

Once he heard the word 'Christmas' he was up and as alert as ever. He jumped up and raced past Rachel on the way to the kitchen. He was in charge of cooking up some breakfast while Rachel went to occupy the girls.

When breakfast was done, Finn called the girls out to the kitchen. It was a tradition of theirs to have a nice family breakfast before seeing what Santa brought. The girls were never too fond of the tradition, but went along with it so they could open their presents.

The girls ate their breakfast as fast as they could, but since tradition said everyone had to finish before presents, Finn ate as slow as he could.

"Come on, Daddy!" Abby moaned. "A snail could eat faster than that."

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at the scene playing before her. Finn looked at her grinning from ear to ear. She sent a playful glare his way telling him to hurry.

Once Finn had finally finished his breakfast, they guided the girls into the living room. "No peeping." Rachel reminded them as they got closer to the loot.

Finn and Rachel looked at each other and in unison said, "Ready, Set, Go!" With that, the girls took off. They opened presents as fast as they could. Rachel and Finn took a seat on the couch and watched the madness. Every once in a while, one of the girls would ask for help or jump up and show them what Santa brought them.

Rachel started humming a Christmas tune and soon her and Finn were singing Christmas carols and watching their daughters' joy.

Once the girls were finished opening presents and had actually started playing with their new things, Finn decided to speak up.

"Well, I hate to interrupt the toy playing, but I have an announcement." He said gaining the attention of all three girls. Rachel sent him a questioning look trying to figure out what he was going to say.

"Well, I know you all know it has been a strange year. We have been through a lot. But I have some news that might make things a bit better." He said trying to contain the smile that kept creeping up on his face. "I got a call a few days ago about a job. A really great job that would just be the answers to our prayers."

"What is it, Daddy?" Kelly asked.

"Well, my job would be…. the offensive coach for the New York Giants!" He said with a huge smile.

Rachel was awestruck and unable to speak.

"What is a New York Giant?" Abby whispered to Kelly.

"It's a FOOTBALL team!" Kelly said running up to Finn to give him a huge hug. "You did it, Daddy!"

"Yeah, I did!" He said. "What do you think, Rach?" He asked looking at his wife's face as it formed a smile.

"I can't believe it! Why didn't you tell me? This is amazing!" She said leaning over to kiss him as passionately as she could. They stopped when they heard the girls start making gagging noises. "When do you start?" The girls went back to playing.

"Well, the coach with the position has put in his notice, but still has to finish out the season. I will start soon by just being kind of like his apprentice. I'll follow him around. Learn the plays. Learn the team. Pretty much just learn. I won't get full pay until next season, but I will still get more than I ever could have being a sports anchor."

"That's great, baby. I'm sooo proud of you. You deserve this." She said kissing him on the cheek.

The rest of Christmas day was spent lounging around watching the girls play with their toys and eventually fall asleep. Both Rachel and Finn called their families and friends to wish them a Merry Christmas before they gave each other their gifts.

Rachel gave Finn an engraved watch which said _Forever Yours, Faithfully Love Rachel_.

Finn gave her a necklace with three hearts on the chain. One big and two small ones. "You know, for me and the girls." She kissed him and they both started cleaning up the monster of a mess their daughters made.


	15. Valentine's Day Surprise

**A/N: So this is the last chapter to my longest story. I feel like it got a little sappy/cliché at the end, but oh well. Read and Review. Let me know if you like it. Also, don't forget to check out my other stories.**

It had been almost two months since Christmas and the Hudson family was back into the normal swing of things. Rachel's show still had another month of production. Finn was meeting with the NY Giants almost everyday. Abby had asked if she could go back to school and finish up the school year. Kelly was starting to like the city and had found her a little posse.

Yep, everything was good for the Hudson family as Valentine's day was approaching.

Two days before the holiday, Finn woke up to Rachel staring at him.

"Hey, babe. What ya doing?" Finn asked as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

"Just watching you sleep." She replied.

"Why?"

"I was just wondering about something."

"What?"

"I was just wondering what you had planned for Valentine's day." She said with a grin.

"Oh, you'll just have to wait and see." He said knowing how she is about surprises.

"Please, tell me." She said with a pouty lip and puppy dog eyes.

"Nope. Just know that it'll be fun and romantic." He said getting out of bed.

"Fine." Rachel said crossing her arms over her chest.

He smirked as he went to go get the girls up for the day. He loved when Rachel was like this. He was even happier when he did surprise her. He got both girls up and then went to go make some breakfast. Rachel brought the girls down and they had a nice family breakfast.

Later that day, when Rachel was cleaning up after dinner she called Finn into the kitchen. He left the girls to watch a movie and made his way into the kitchen.

"You called." He said leaning up against the counter.

"I was just wondering what are we going to do with the girls on Valentine's day." She said as she dried a plate.

"I've already booked a babysitter. Now stop worrying about it and just trust me. Okay?"

"Fine." Rachel said as she finished up.

**-X-**

_Valentine's Day_

Rachel woke up due to the sun shining through the blinds. She thought she closed those. She turned over to see if Finn was still asleep. She found an empty bed. Well, almost empty. She sat up and smiled as she gazed on the hundreds of rose petals that covered their bed and floor. She bent down to take in the fragrance just as Finn walked in with a single rose.

"Happy Valentine's day, Rach." He said as he walked over to her and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Happy Valentine's day, Finn." She said as she sat up taller and brought his lips to hers.

"So as for the plan for the day, I'll let you know this much. I was thinking we could spend the morning with the girls. I just finished some heart shaped pancakes downstairs and I've got their cards and candy hid in the cabinet so they cannot get to it."

"Sounds wonderful. What about the rest of the day?"

"Sorry, my lips are sealed about the rest of the day." He said as he closed his lips and moved his fingers across his mouth as though he was zipping them.

"Well, let's see if I can open them." Rachel said as she got on her knees and captured his lips in a searing kiss.

"Mommy! Daddy! Happy Valentine's day!"

Rachel and Finn broke the kiss as they heard the girls run into their room. The girls hopped on the bed and played with the petals. Rachel and Finn smiled as they watched their girls.

"Alright, time to go eat some pancakes that I made. Come on let's go. Off the bed." Finn said pushing the girls playfully off the bed.

"I'll be down in a minute." Rachel said. Finn noticed something was up, but he'd ask later.

As soon as Finn and the girls were gone, Rachel sprinted to the bathroom. She barely made it, but thankfully did. She didn't want Finn to know yet. She planned on telling him that night. She cleaned herself off and brush her teeth hoping that the pancakes wouldn't set her off again.

The rest of the morning was spent eating a lovely breakfast and watching the girls hit a sugar high and then crash.

"At least it happened early. That way the babysitter won't have to deal with it." Rachel said smiling.

"Yeah. So the babysitter will be here at three. I was thinking we could go out and walk around Central Park. So I suggest wearing something casual."

"Like what?"

"Well, you could wear those jeans that make you're a-s-s looking ah-mazing. Also, that top that looks like a T-shirt but comes down to here." He said in hushed tones, pointing half-way down Rachel's chest. She playfully slapped his hand away and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I get the picture."

The doorbell rang at three on the dot. Finn and Rachel said goodbye and goodnight to their girls, leaving them with the babysitter.

Finn took Rachel's hand as they left the building leading her to their mode of transportation. Who else, but Finn would rent one of those bicycle carriages for Valentine's day.

He looked at her sensing her question. "I thought this would be fun. Limos are hard to get and this way we can take in all the sights and smells you love so much about New York." He said with a grin.

"It's perfect, Finn." Rachel said holding his hand for support as she got into the carriage.

After they were settled and the cyclist began cycling, Rachel took the opportunity to take in Finn's outfit. He had chosen a pair of semi-faded jeans and a button up plaid shirt with some dark greens and blues. He looked so sexy in such a simple outfit. She wondered how she ever ended up with such a wonderful guy for a husband.

The ride took about an hour and half. It dropped the couple off at Central Park. The two made their way around the park just walking and talking about everything. It wasn't long until Rachel noticed the single picnic blanket set out with a picnic basket on it. Finn guided her to it.

"So I thought, we could have a date kind of like our first 'date'. Oh and I did eventually find those airplane cups." He said with an accomplished smile.

Rachel looked down at the setup and then back up to Finn to whom she kissed fiercely.

They soon sat down and had their early dinner. Once they were finished they laid down on the blanket and watched the clouds as they passed.

"Can I ask something?" Rachel said.

"Sure. What?"

"Why did you want us to dress down? We could have easily dressed up."

He sighed. "I know. I just… I feel like when we dress up, we're trying to be something we're not or trying to show off money or something. Don't get me wrong. You look amazing when you dress up. It's just, sometimes, I like us just being us. Just plain and simple. Honestly, I love the way you look like right now. I don't know… I'm not really explaining it am I?"

Rachel snuggled into his side and said, "You explained it perfectly. I love you."

A few minutes of silence passed when Finn looked at his watch. "Oh, we gotta go."

Rachel sat up. "Where we going now?"

"Well there is this spot in the park that shows old movies on a big sheet every Valentine's day and I thought that might be cool to try."

"Sounds great."

They packed up the picnic and grabbed the basket and blanket and made their way to where the movie was showing. They sat down the blanket and settled in as the movie started.

It didn't take two seconds before Rachel knew the movie. She sat up and turned to Finn showing her perfect smile to him. As the first few scenes played of _Funny Girl_, Rachel just couldn't believe it.

After the movie was over, Finn and Rachel started walking back home.

They were hand-in-hand when Rachel decided it was time.

"Hey, I need to tell you something." She said as she turned to him, stopping their walk.

"What?" He said curious as to what she'd say.

"Well, first off, this was the best Valentine's day ever. I honestly couldn't have done any better. You are so amazing and I love you so much." She paused trying to gather her words.

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming." Finn said with a questioning look.

"No there's not. I'm just trying to find the best way to tell you I'm pregnant."

Finn's eyes kind of bugged out for a moment upon hearing this. He thought about it for a moment while Rachel was waiting trying to figure out if this reaction was good or not.

"Finn?"

His odd expression soon turned into a smile with a small nod.

"Finn?" Rachel asked worried her husband had lost it.

"This is great. I mean I can't believe it. We're having a baby!" With that Finn picked up Rachel and spun her around as he kissed her.

"I take it your okay with it?" Rachel asked to be sure.

"Absolutely. Rach, this is great. We're finally where we want to be. You're on Broadway. I'm doing something I love. Our girls are happy and we're having another baby. I'm so happy right now." He said kissing her again.

Rachel smiled into the kiss. "I'm happy too. I love you."

"I love you more."

They continued their playful argument all the way back to their apartment. They had been through a lot. More than most people their age. They had somehow made it through and were stronger because of it. It just goes to show, that when all else was lost, there was still love.


End file.
